


There is no remedy for love

by TheHappyCrab



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Challenge Response, F/M, Facebook: Hermione's Nook, Fluff, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29357412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHappyCrab/pseuds/TheHappyCrab
Summary: They're friends. Just friends.Until Theo develops a concerning crush.Written for Hermione's Nook 2021 Lovebirds challenge.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39
Collections: Hermione's Nook Lovebirds Fest





	There is no remedy for love

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Hermione's Nook Lovebirds challenge, and is the first time I've written anything non-academic for more than 8 years. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
> 
> There aren't enough words to thank WhiteWallsKill for her support and feedback, and for helping me find the confidence to post this at all.
> 
> Lots of love, The Happy Crab x

The first time it happened Theo nearly jumped out of his skin. He’d been quite absorbed in his Ancient Runes work, not his favourite subject but not the worst either. The comings and goings of other students were mostly insignificant to him, Theo had only been back at Hogwarts three weeks but very few people had spoken to him in that time, so he was hardly expecting anyone to start now.

Which meant when Hermione Granger had rather heavily, slammed some would say, placed her books on his library table he’d, as he said, nearly jumped out of his skin.

“May I sit?” she’d asked when he looked up, noting the students at tables around them glaring. She was seemingly obliviously to them all, including him, as she was already sliding into the chair, his answer not mattering to her.

“By all means,” Theo murmured in response, still quite surprised at this new turn of events. They shared all the same classes, of course, but had never spoken. And it would seem they were not about to start now either, since she opened an Arithmancy textbook and didn’t say another word.

*

Two days later, sitting at the edge of the potions classroom, Theo was decidedly not surprised when she walked up his workbench and placed her books down, somewhat more gently this time.

“Partners today?” Hermione offered with a small smile. She was rather pretty when she smiled Theo thought.

“You honour me,” He said, eliciting a small snort from her as she sat down on the stool next to him.

“Oh please, we both know you’re just as good at potions as I,” Hermione began opening her textbooks to the right page, indelicately cracking the book’s spine as she did so.

“You didn’t seem the sort to do such a thing to a new book,” Theo observed with arched eyebrows, “How nice it is to be proven wrong.”

“Well I love books, that much is true, but they’re meant for reading, not for sitting on a shelf in pristine condition,” She replied.

There was nothing more to be said on the matter however, as the new Potions professor appeared and called the class to attention. He was fine, as professors went, but he did have a nasally voice that tended to grate on Theo.

The professor, whose name always eluded Theo, turned and wrote ‘polyjuice’ on the chalkboard, provoking another small snort from Hermione sat next to him. Theo looked at her questioningly, but she just gave a soft shake of her head.

“I’ll tell you later,” she whispered, and Theo spent the remainder of the lesson arranging their prep work slightly distracted, wondering when ‘later’ might be.

*

‘Later’ had not been at the end of class, as some Ravenclaw girl caught up to Hermione before Theo had the chance to say anything, and he certainly wasn’t going to lurk at her side like some _weirdo_ and wait for her to finish. As he packed up his things Theo nodded a goodbye to Hermione, and loped out of classroom to head back to the Slytherin common room.

He thought about this new, fragile friendship between himself and Hermione Granger, of all people. Theo had never joined the Dark Lord – Voldemort – but he certainly hadn’t signed up to Dumbledore’s Army, his father would’ve never allowed that to happen. Theo hadn’t espoused the same Pureblood supremacy tripe that Draco had, but he’d never contradicted him either. This was why no one had spoken to Theo since his return to Hogwarts, those on the losing side thought he’d betrayed them, and those on the winning side saw him tainted by association. Somehow it made sense that Hermione Granger, champion of the downtrodden as she were, would be the one to give him a chance.

“Ostium,” Theo said, and the door to the Slytherin common room swung open in answer. A few people glanced up at his entrance, and upon seeing who it was immediately returned back to what they were doing previously. Very few Slytherins from his school year had returned, Pansy certainly hadn’t, and the last Theo had heard was that Draco was studying from home and would only return to Hogwarts for the exams.

Theo himself had only come back because he didn’t know what else to do, his father had died in the final battle, and Theo hadn’t so much as shed a single tear. He’d turned the old Nott manor over to the Ministry temporarily, bought a flat in Diagon Alley and fled to Hogwarts at the earliest opportunity. Maybe he wasn’t completely welcome here, but he enjoyed studying so here he was.

Blaise nodded discreetly at Theo as he walked towards his room, they weren’t exactly friends anymore but Blaise had nowhere to go either, and Theo nodded back as he passed. It was his study period, an entire hour to himself before lunch, so he swapped the potions textbook for his arithmancy one and headed back up and out to the courtyard. For the end of September it was quite warm and it would be much nicer to study in a quiet corner whilst most students were still in class.

Except, of course, Hermione Granger, who had the exact same timetable he did and was chatting amicably to the youngest Weasley. Hermione was sat on the bench, while the Weasley girl practically lounged on the picnic table.

“Theo!” Hermione called, “Sit with us!” She was beckoning him over, the Weasley girl watching with a bemused smile. Well he could hardly ignore her now, so Theo bumbled over and sat.

“Theo I’m sure you know Ginny,” Hermione said, and Ginny gave a smile of acknowledgment.

“I do, I assume you’ll be Gryffindor Quidditch captain this year?” He asked.

“I will be, I’ve had offers from a few teams to play professionally but I wanted one last year of school Quidditch. A whole year of no adult worries and no magical terrorists,” Ginny smiled contentedly, “I’m in your Defence class, but aside from that I’m just taking Magical Creatures and Divination, McGonagall agreed to let me do just three N.E.W.Ts if I taught flying to the firsties.”

“I’m not on the team but I do enjoy flying,” Theo said.

“Well then the two of you can fly on an afternoon,” Hermione jumped in, “And I’ll sit in the stands, as long as it’s sunny.” She declared, tipping her freckled face to the sun. Ginny looked at Theo and just shrugged with a grin. What could Theo do but shrug and grin back?

*

It continued that way for another two months, studying with Hermione and flying with Ginny (Hermione stopped sitting in the stands two weeks into October). Theo only ate dinner at the Slytherin table, lunches were had in the library with Hermione and a book.

Theo could feel his confidence growing, could feel true happiness for the first time in a long time. He and Hermione were firm friends now, Ginny too, and he was all the better for it.

“Hogsmeade tomorrow?” Hermione asked, breaking Theo’s train of thought, “I’ve got some last minute Christmas gifts to buy.”

“Sure, is Ginny coming?”

“Is Ginny coming where?” The girl in question appeared from a corridor on their right, joining them as they walked towards their next class.

“Hogsmeade,” Theo answered, “Hermione hasn’t got all her Christmas gifts.”

“Are you still coming to mine?” Ginny directed to Hermione, “Ron has said he’s hardly heard from you recently and he’s excited to see you.”

Theo felt his chest tighten in a strange and horrible way. He’d forgotten about Ron. And why should it bother him really? Hermione hadn’t said that she and Ron were together, in fact she’d never really brought him up at all. They’d never spoken about their respective love lives, which was easy for Theo because he didn’t have one, had never had more than a few awkward kisses with Daphne Greengrass.

Instead, he and Hermione had talked about their parents, his both dead, hers lost to her after an impressive memory charm. Hermione had finally told him the story behind the Polyjuice potion, which had left him staring agape at her. She’d shared some of the less painful details about her time on the run, Theo had shared some less painful details about life with a maniac.

The niggly feeling in Theo’s chest got worse as Hermione confirmed her attendance at the Wealsey’s for Christmas, he was beginning to think he might actually throw up. God, did he fancy her? That would be largely inconvenient since she clearly had a relationship of some sort, and he really didn’t want to spoil their friendship.

“Theo?” Hermione said with a worried face, “You’ve gone very pale, are you feeling okay?”

Theo looked at her, she looked the same as she always had and yet also very different. Same brown eyes, same wild hair and dark skin. But, oh, he could feel it in his chest now. He definitely fancied her. Theo turned from her to Ginny, who was also now watching him with a frown.

“S-s-sorry,” Theo stammered, “I don’t actually feel that great, I think I’ll lie down. Can you tell Professor Vector I’m not well and collect my work?”

The only reason he didn’t run away was because he was pretending to be ill, although he did feel nauseous all of a sudden.

“Still on for Hogsmeade though?” Ginny called at his back, but Theo was already gone.

*

“It’s a shame you didn’t come to Hogsmeade yesterday,” Ginny plopped down on the bench across the table from him chewing on the edge of a sugar quill, “Funny how quickly you’ve recovered though.”

Theo looked up at her from the Potions homework he was pretending to do, Ginny had a horribly suspicious look on her face.

“Maybe something I ate?” Theo offered. Ginny’s eyes only narrowed further but she said nothing, instead pulling a paper bag from Honeyduke’s out of her bag.

“Well I got you these, what are you doing for Christmas anyway? Hermione is only flooing over to mine for a couple of days,”

“I’ll either just stay here or go to my flat, at least in my flat I can have something stronger to drink than pumpkin juice,” Theo said.

“You don’t want to come to the Burrow for Christmas Day lunch at least?” Ginny asked but Theo just shook his head.

“I can think of at least two people in attendance that wouldn’t appreciate my presence, but thank you Ginny, it’s kind of you to offer,” he replied.

“The offer stands if you change your mind, are we flying later? After lunch maybe?” Ginny got up and stood waiting for his answer, Theo gave her a firm nod and she flounced off with a swish of her famed fiery hair.

He certainly couldn’t stay at Hogwarts over Christmas now he knew Hermione would be here for most of the break, Theo got a horrible churning feeling in his stomach whenever he thought about seeing her. Obviously he’d see her in class before then, but he knew he needed those two weeks over Christmas to forget about this ridiculous crush he’d developed, hopefully some time and distance would fix this mess. Absently Theo pulled a sweet from the bag Ginny had given him and began to chew it, thinking about the gift he’d bought Hermione. It lay wrapped in his room waiting to be given to her. It was just a silly charm bracelet he’d had made for her, he’d thought nothing of it at the time but now he worried it was too much and she would _know_.

The bracelet, made of white gold, had three charms already on it, a small Polyjuice potion bottle and two charms with her parents’ initials, but there was room for plenty more. It didn’t help matters that Theo had no idea what she’d got him either, this charm bracelet might look extravagant in comparison. The bracelet hadn’t made even the tiniest of dents in the Nott vaults of course, but flashing money about was tasteless anyway.

No, he had to find something else to give her this Christmas, and quickly since the school break was only a week away.

“Those will rot your teeth you know,” said a teasing voice from behind him, and Theo’s stomach somersaulted at least five times before he turned around, straddling the bench to look at her better. There she was, Hermione, smiling down at him while she hugged a couple of books to her chest. Theo’s own chest contracted horribly until he was sure he couldn’t breathe.

“Perhaps that was Ginny’s ulterior motive,” Theo said back, pleased his voice came out evenly. Hermione leant in front of him and plucked a sweet from the bag, the perfume she was wearing washed over him and Theo’s stomach gymnastics only intensified.

“Gift swap on Friday? After the feast?” Hermione asked, still holding the sweet.

“Sounds great,” Theo smiled thinly.

“Brilliant, see you this evening in the library? I want to go over our Runes homework before we hand it in tomorrow,” Hermione was already walking away backwards and had put the sweet between her lips, which Theo now obviously couldn’t stop staring at.

“Of course,” Theo nodded, Hermione smiled brightly and walked off. Theo almost missed the days where he could sit at the table in the hall and work in solitude.

Now he had five days to find a new gift for Hermione. Rats.

*

Eventually Theo settled on a vintage gift, a slim bookmark of Goblin gold and a cut pearl at the top. It was still possibly a little extravagant, but infinitely less intimate. He’d managed to convince McGonagall there’d been a problem with his estate earlier in the week that required his presence to resolve, and Theo had stopped at his accountant’s office but he’d primarily spent the evening in Diagon Alley dashing in and out of shops before they shut. Mercifully he hadn’t seen anyone he knew, and if someone had seen him then surely the crazed look in his eyes had warned them off trying to speak to him.

The bookmark, now wrapped in delicate green tissue paper lay in front of him on the coffee table, next to the similarly wrapped Quidditch training gloves he’d bought for Ginny. They’d chosen the library to swap gifts, it was desolate as most people stayed at the Christmas feast even after dinner had finished, leaving Theo to relax in his armchair before the girls got there.

The week had been fraught as Theo tried his best to act as normal around Hermione as possible, he didn’t want to raise any suspicion and harm their friendship. As far as he was aware Hermione hadn’t noticed anything strange, but Ginny had definitely looked at him oddly a few times. Unfortunately it seemed that now he’d acknowledged his crush to himself it was only getting worse, everything she did now seemed particularly charming where it hadn’t before. Theo cringed as he recalled the way his heart had leapt when they’d brushed hands in potions, quite on accident too, for Theo wasn’t confident enough to do it on purpose.

His train of thought was broken as Hermione and Ginny walked in, arguing good-naturedly about something and each trying to bump the other’s hip with her own.

“Because heels are an invention designed to make a woman’s butt look smaller,” Ginny paused, “And to make it harder for them to run away.” She added thoughtfully as she and Hermione flopped onto the small sofa opposite Theo.

“Do I even want to know?” Theo asked and Ginny opened her mouth to speak before Hermione cut her off.

“No,” Hermione said firmly, “You absolutely do not want to know.”

“Gifts!” Ginny said imperiously, handing her wrapped gift to Theo. He took it and pushed his gifts across the table to them. Ginny was clearly not interested in waiting for Christmas Day as she tore the wrapping off immediately.

“The new Nimbus gloves! With the warming charms?” Ginny was grinning and Theo nodded. Hermione just slid her gift into the small bag she always carried and passed a gift box over in return.

“I wish you were staying for some of the break,” Hermione said, looking a little sad.

“I am sorry, maybe you could spend a bit more time at Ginny’s?” Theo suggested. Part of his brain was chanting ‘idiot’ again and again, why would he encourage her to spend even more time with Ron?!

“Maybe,” Was all she said back, and Theo could hardly look at her. He slid his gifts from Ginny and Hermione into the satchel he used as a school bag, although Ginny’s gift took a bit of squishing.

“Catch us before you go tomorrow Theo?” Ginny asked, still as chipper as ever, now wearing her new gloves unnecessarily.

“Of course, wouldn’t dream of missing it,”

*

Theo fiddled with the hem of his new knitted jumper, courtesy of one Ginny Weasley, as he made his way up to the Astronomy Tower. Hermione had given him a framed photo of the two of them taken by Ginny, smiling into the camera and leaning close together. It now sat on his bedside table.

“Hello you,” Theo said to Hermione’s back, she was staring out over the edge with her forearms resting on the barrier. At his voice she turned and smiled, and Theo’s heart immediately contracted. So much for some distance curing him of that, he thought.

“What a beautiful jumper,” Hermione remarked, “You know Ginny wanted it to be maroon but as soon as Molly heard who it was for she insisted on the green. The colour suits you though.”

“Good hols then?”

“Ugh, no,” Hermione huffed, “I’d have rather sat around your flat with you to be perfectly honest, but I was too embarrassed to ask. I thought it would be too forward.”

“No need to worry about being too forward with me,” Theo smiled softly, could she possibly feel the same way he did? “Did something happen?”

“Ron happened,” Hermione’s brow creased, she was completely unaware of the way Theo’s stomach had sunk to the lowest pit. Of course, Ron.

“Something he said?”

“What didn’t he say?” She said with another huff, “First he starts up this ridiculous conversation about ‘us’ again, even though I must’ve told him a dozen times there isn’t an ‘us’. We argued about that through letters, I’d just read a particularly infuriating letter from him the first day I sat down next to you actually.”

“Oh,” was all Theo was able to interject. Had their friendship been born of her wanting to annoy the Weasel?

“And then of course I unwrapped my gift from you,” Her head shot up with a smile, “Thank you by the way, it’s the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received. It’s a shame that it only upset Ron further as he got it into his head that you and I have been seeing each other! I told him that we were friends, that you, Ginny and I are just friends, but he was past reason at this point anyway. I gave up and came back here, to Hogwarts.”

Just friends. There was no hidden meaning there; Hermione had no idea what those words had done to Theo, but she didn’t owe him anything. It wasn’t her fault his feelings were unrequited. Theo certainly wasn’t willing to lose his friendship with her, or Ginny for that matter, so despite the knife in his heart he smiled and said nothing.

*

“Settle down, settle down,” McGonagall’s voice called over the noise of the assembled fifth years and above. “Settle down! Sit wherever you want, as long as you can see me.”

Theo sat down on the edge of the bench, close to the back but close enough to see. Fifth years and above had been told to wait behind after dinner while the rest of the school was packed off to bed, McGonagall had promised a special ‘festive’ surprise. Theo caught Hermione’s eye and she gave him a small wave, reminding him of why he wasn’t feeling particularly festive this Valentine’s Day.

“…so you will take a pair of lovebirds and say ‘cor meum revelare’, making sure you give your wand that extra flick too.”

Theo blinked as a pair of lovebirds appeared in front of him, he’d not caught what this was meant to do, lost in thought as he had been. He performed the spell, flicking his wand just so, and the birds chirped and shrunk down quickly, leaving a folded note in their place. Others around him were doing the same and more missives appeared around him. Theo picked his up and read the first few lines, then immediately folded it up again hugged it to his chest.

It was all the ways he’d fallen in love with Hermione. It didn’t need her name at the top for him to know that. He knew it like he knew he was surely turning bright red at that moment. Theo looked up quickly, and Hermione was fortunately just reading her note and frowning at it, Theo caught Ginny’s eye instead and she was now staring at him like he’d grown a second head. He stood up hastily, taking the letter and beginning to walk away quickly. Theo should’ve known Ginny would catch up easily, she was practically a professional athlete.

“Will you tell her?” Ginny asked quietly, displaying more tact than Theo thought she had. Theo shook his head gently.

“I can’t, some things are too important,” He walked away again, and this time Ginny didn’t follow him. Theo took a left, as if to head towards the Slytherin common room, but instead used the dungeons to go back on himself and head up the many stairs to the owlery. He pulled a muggle pen from his pocket that Hermione had given him months ago and scribbled her name on the front in handwriting as bland as he could make it.

“Tomorrow morning, okay? Not now, but at breakfast,” Theo said to one of the smarter owls as he attached the letter to its leg. If owls could shrug this one would, instead it settled back onto its roost with the letter attached. That would have to do, Theo thought Divination was a load of rot but this way whatever happened was left to fate. Not because he was being a coward.

*

“Do you think it’s that blonde seventh year in Ravenclaw? I’ve forgotten his name,” Hermione wondered aloud, “I saw him staring at me in Runes but I thought maybe my hair looked funny or something.”

Ginny shot Theo a sharp glare across the table, this was the ninth person Hermione had suggested as her ‘mystery Valentine’ since she’d received Theo’s anonymous note more than two weeks ago.

“He wasn’t staring at your hair,” Is all Ginny said, “I imagine he was staring at the food in your teeth from lunch, and I did try to tell you but you ran off before I could say anything.”

Hermione’s hand shot up to cover her mouth and Ginny sniggered at her, even Theo managed a smile at her horror.

“Well it’s long gone now,” Ginny laughed. Hermione slowly let her hand drop and turned to Theo instead.

“Are you really not going to tell me who your Valentine’s letter was for?” She asked, probably the thirtieth iteration of this question Theo had batted away from her.

“I told you, I had no idea who it was about and then I lost it anyway,” Theo insisted, prompting a frown from Hermione.

“You said two days ago that you’d burnt it,” She said. Theo felt himself go pale, he had said that two days ago. He’d forgotten that.

“Hermione aren’t you meant to be seeing Hagrid in five minutes?” Ginny butted in. Hermione checked her watch and then sprung up and darted off, calling out her goodbyes over her shoulder.

“Honestly Theo, you need to tell her. She wouldn’t talk to me about her note but she said it mentioned someone’s friendship developing into more, I think she’s started talking herself into thinking it’s about Ron,”

Theo, already pale, was convinced his blood had frozen in his veins. He was going to have to tell her, he’d rather take the risk that she didn’t feel the same than think his feelings were Ron’s. For one, Theo was offended that Hermione thought the articulate feelings could be attributed to someone with the emotional range of a teaspoon. The bracelet, he could give her the bracelet he’d gotten her for Christmas, it was still hidden behind his socks in the drawer.

Perhaps a big gesture, that would do it.

*

Theo had just poked his head out of the common room door to find some firstie to take his note to Hermione when a firstie found him, panting somewhat having seemingly run there.

“Hermione Granger said to give you this note, I didn’t read it, I promise,” The anonymous Gryffindor managed to wheeze out before he darted off again. Why were eleven year olds always running? Theo shrugged and opened the note.

_Come to the Astronomy Tower_

_H x_

Rats. The note in his pocket asking her to meet him in the greenhouses said almost the exact same thing. With a sigh Theo tucked Hermione’s note into the same pocket and patted his robes where the bracelet in its box was stashed. It was a long walk from the dungeons, giving Theo plenty of time to overthink the potentially disastrous outcome of what he was going to say to her.

Theo eventually reached the top of the stairs and felt the wards slip over him, Hermione’s magic felt familiar to him already. Like home. Not his childhood home of course, but what a home filled with love could be like. And there she was, stood just behind a picnic blanket and a veritable mountain of cushions.

“I wanted to meet you here,” Hermione said, looking just past Theo’s shoulder, “Because this tower is a beautiful place to sit, and the memories made here should be happier.”

Finally she looked him in the eyes, and when he said nothing she added:

“I know my letter was from you,”

The words hit Theo like a physical force, right in the gut.

“You do?” He managed. He’d come here to say that, of course, but this had taken him horribly off guard.

“I only realised today, when you lied about what you’d done with it. I think I overlooked you because I didn’t want to spoil our friendship. But I couldn’t work out who my note was meant to be for, it just promised something more in someone close to me, and really it was very vague and could’ve been anyone so I-“

“I knew before the letter,” Theo interrupted her ramble and reached for the bracelet in his robes, “I got you this for Christmas, but it felt like too much.” Theo held out the box and watched studiously as she took it and opened it, her mouth making a little ‘o’ when she saw it, then her eyes filling up with tears as she looked at the charms.

“Put it on me?” Hermione whispered, holding out her wrist. Theo silently plucked the dainty links from the box, letting the box fall to the cushions beside him. His nimble fingers made short work of closing the clasp, until he was just holding her wrist in both hands.

“Do I need to ask you to kiss me too?” Her voice was barely audible, but Theo heard anyway.

Slowly, his hands fell to her waist and her arms wound around his shoulders, bracelet glinting in the dim light. Their lips came together at last and Theo knew this was happiness, pure and complete happiness.

There was nothing left to do but kiss her again.

_There is no remedy for love, but to love more._


End file.
